Kaka’i community in Iraq denounces video undermining Kirkuk’s coexistence

Shafaq News - Kirkuk

Iraq’s Kaka’i community voiced strong condemnation on Wednesday over a video circulating on social media that it said undermines social peace and communal coexistence in Kirkuk.

The controversy began with a clip posted online on September 4, in which a man named Ali Abdul Jabbar, who identified himself as a member of the Kaka’i faith, claimed that several Arab girls had been kidnapped in the town of Daquq in late 2017.

In response, the community gathered at the guesthouse of its leader, Ibrahim Mustafa Khalil Agha, and issued a statement stressing its rejection of the video’s claims. “The Kaka’i have always been an inseparable part of Iraq’s social fabric, offering martyrs and wounded throughout history, particularly in the war against terrorism,” the statement said. “Our national contributions and proud history are a source of strength for Iraq as a whole and for Kirkuk in particular.”

The community emphasized its solidarity with Arab tribes and all of Kirkuk’s components—Arabs, Kurds, and Turkmen—rejecting any attempt to incite division. It called for disputes to be settled through law and the judiciary.

Also known as Yarsanis, the Kaka’i are a religious group with ancient roots found in Iraq, Iran, and parts of Turkiye. In Iraq, they are concentrated in Kirkuk, Diyala, Nineveh, and Erbil.